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The Ledgers of Baldr: 4E155-4E201
Actions Ashelani In what can only be described as the most controversial idea to come out of the hivemind, the Queen leaves a single protoqueen to maintain a constant bond with the Hunger, for science reasons. Designated Len-Torol, she is perhaps the second best fed creature in the Hive, in an skewed attempt to keep the Hunger from corrupting her. She sits in the darkened room of soldiers, constantly monitoring the thoughts of the Brightprince in an attempt to learn more about his origin, tactics, and weaknesses. (Hunger Tech 1, -30 wealth) The Carcinid Ashelani are recognized to have an endurance far outpacing that of the average worker or soldier, and are given the responsibility of traveling deep into the southern plains to find new grounds for the Carcino herds to roam (Expansion 1, -10 wealth). In honor of their pacification, the Queen begins singing of their equality and corresponding inedibilty to the rest of the hive. (Culture 1). Finally, the Nautilisks, after suffering through heavy losses during the war and breeding pod nutrient deprivation, are given time to relax, and breed at slower pre-war rates. The remaining creatures not currently assembled into a navy are sent to return to their natural habits of catching fish for the hive. (Income 1) Kaz'ur Since his withdrawal from society, the Salatim has remained in constant isolation, spending his days in meditation and prayer, trying to increase the effectiveness of the Ashik prayers in warding off the hunger's ceaseless advance, appealing to the Great Father. (Actions 1-5, anti hunger research). A steady stream of missionaries have been filtering along the mountain trade routes into Stavengar and the DFP, believing that in these times of trouble, more believers will strengthen the efforts of the Ashik to halt the hunger. They describe the horrors of the hunger in their appeals to the potential converts, and insist that only the great father can protect them in these troubled times. (Culture, 6-7) Lastly, settlers on the newly colonized island of Maruk expand to the North. (Expansion, 8). Mu'lakka Shipbuilders on Mu'lakka soil begin experimenting with a mechanism to be mounted on the bow of ships that will ignite streams of oil capable of burning away the hunger from a safe distance. (Hunger Tech 1) In their experiments, they notice that when a canvas was placed over a vat of the still-hot oil, the top of the canvas rose slightly. Intrigued by this, they begin tinkering with the possibilities of heat-induced lift, trying to lift small objects with a flame under a specially-shaped canvas (Tech 2) The colonists send scouting parties to find suitable lands; particularly brave colonists explore the highlands near where they first encountered the rogue Derultians, and believe the rest of the Derultians to be located. (Expansion 3) Renovations to the Great Market begin, constructing buildings to house the merchants where once there were only tents. (Culture 4) Ignati After the recent outbreaks of the Hunger on Manuk, Chimeryx decides to move decisively to crack the code of this substance which has already done so much harm to his allies. He sends a handpicked team of elders and explorers to the Ashik, to acquire a small sample for research. With them they bring a massive steel box lined with pitch for storage. If the Hunger so much as looks at them funny, they have orders to burn it to a crisp(Hunger Sampling/Research x4). Hall of the Five Under the stress of the Anti-Ahazuaran alliance and the growing amount and popularity of the hunger, The Destroyer retires his post as de facto leader of The Halls and returns to caring for his ravens. Gojac returns to working on the long-awaited flight magic. (1) Garma is growing worried about the hunger and nation-destroying plagues and infections in general. She works on learning to heal damaged mortals. (2) Kellus and Rucahn take a long walk around the countryside, drop some shrines, and smoke a pack and a half of Ahazuaran Cigars. (3&4: expansion) Legaros With Legaros flourishing under the control of Bash'lin, the Great Prophet seems to grow more despondent every day. He sends out one last group of missionaries in the hopes of gaining any amount of support for his cause (Culture 1). Meanwhile, the former High Marshal proposes to the Emperor that, with the Hunger being such a deadly threat, the nations researchers should work on the means to counter it effectively. He notes that the whiskey flamers used by other nations could potentially be condensed into a small, thrown device (Military Research 2). The winners of the First Haven Boat Race have been offered positions as instructors within the Legaran Navy, as they have shown an impressive ability to handle their vessels which can hopefully be taught to others (Naval Research 3). Emperor Bash'lin sends out more men east, in hopes that they will claim more lands in his name (Expansion 4). Results: The Ashelani Dominion: 13, 15, 12, 17 Having not talked for 800 or so years, the Brightprince is surprisingly sparing with its words. True to its promise, the Hunger has not encroached any further into the jungle. No new information is really gleaned however, although the Hunger has hinted that its previous form, Brightprince Torol, was not from this world (-30 wealth). The small, unblemished point of land on your central coastline has become the largest slave port in the entire continent. Prisoners of war from the Reich and Stinheim are regularly herded in through the port, which is surrounded by high resin walls on all sides to block the Hunger’s spread. Your human slave population now secretly undergoes forced breeding to keep up with the demand that the Hunger’s sacrifice requirement imposes. The expansion southward along the curve of the fissure succeeds (+6 income, -10 wealth), and the song integrating the carcinids into your hive goes over well (+1 culture). The krakenoids get back to fishing instead of sea-murder (+4 income). Kaz’ur: 9, 6, 16, 6, 16, 16, 6, 16 The Salatim has had the same dream for three nights now. He is floating above Ardunne, the entire continent displayed below him. The sky above is blotted out by black and white smoke. A monstrous, hulking red figure of raw muscle, smoke pouring off its frame, can be seen far across the southern sea. It roars, a gleaming sword of white flame held aloft above its head. The world trembles. To the east, across the ocean, massive thunderheads are looming. To the west, on Manuk, the Salatim can see a vast desert of unimaginable size, shielded by a mountain range. Legions of human soldiers, hundreds upon thousands, march in perfect formation, embarking on hundreds of brass ships. No, not humans. Shaped like humans. Men fashioned of wrought tin and iron. The beast on Rhiam roars a second time, steaming blood pouring in waterfalls from its distended mouth and impossibly large body. The Brightprince, he thinks. “I know this,” the Salatim tells the Great Father, “But how is this important?” The Great Father, looming unseen behind the clouds, says the same thing he always says. “WHAT YOU SEE HAS ALREADY COME TO PASS.” The clouds part, and light illuminates a section of the desert nestled against the western mountains. It seems darker, somehow. There is something there, in the sand, but the Salatim cannot make it out. The Great Father speaks again. “YOU MUST MAKE THE JOURNEY.” The Salatim is confused, but the Great Father continues. “IT IS THE LAST OF ITS KIND. GUARD IT, PROTECT IT, AS THE HUMANS OF OLD ONCE DID. ITS TEMPTATION IS TOO GREAT.” His voice is blotted out by a third roar, a roar that sends the Salatim toppling out of the sky. A light shines from within the gaping eyes of the beast. As the Salatim falls, Rhiam expodes in a whirlwind of otherworldly fire. The dream ends. These are the good years for Kaz’ur. Despite dwarfen protestations of the two occupying armies in Stavengar, the senate continues to pass every law handed to them. There is backlash among the dwarfs, of course, but many have taken up residence outside the walls of Kaz’ur. The interior of the nation, of course, is sacred to your people, and non-Ashik are not allowed to tread upon the holy ground within the silver walls, where the Great Father once walked. The dwarfs outside your walls are new converts to your religion, although many in Stavengar do not believe that the Hunger is a real threat (+1 culture). Finally, the Ashik on the island expand north through the ice and snow. The island has no real resources of any kind, but immigrants desperate to escape the Hunger flock there to be with those of their faith, rather than try to cut their trade in Legaros (+6 income, -10 wealth). The Mu’lakka Lands: 2, 16, 20, 14 Areas burnt by the flames seem to spring back into life within less than 24 hours. There is just not enough sheer volume of flame to beat back the Hunger, and refugees from the Reich say that in the south of their nation, flame wagons burn every day, all day, pumping out huge sheets of fire, and the Hunger there still advances. Scientists in Rhiam hypothesize that it can travel underground if need be. Burning it will do nothing. The lift technology is yours, although its applicability is currently unknown at this time. Large balloons made of animal hide float above the streets of your capital, confusing tourists as well as townsfolk. The expansion, with the help of The Dust and his band of outlaws, who seem to know the territory very well, is a resounding success, and your nation now stakes claim to the scrublands below the vast desert of Manuk. Thick waves of almost tangiable heat blow in from the north during the daytime, and it is dangerous to leave dwelling spaces during daylight hours. Mu’lakkans here work the fields at night, while the air is cool, to avoid heat stroke, delirium, and desertburn, a horrifying affliction that blackens and cracks the skin like the surface of a dry riverbed , caused by overexposure (+9 income, -10 wealth). A recent estimate put the top three wealthiest men in the world as Mu’lakkans, with the two co-chairs of the international bank taking the bottom two spots, and Rak’min himself taking first place, thanks to his clever marketing campaign for Mu’lakkan Victory Wine—“MVW: Buy it or be hanged for treason.” Due to the surge in national pride this has brought about, the Great Market is completely revovated, and is now a sprawling woodworked castle housing merchandise from every explored corner of the world. Mu’lakkans living in the capital enjoy the highest standard of living of any people (+1 culture). The Ignati Tribes: 1, 13, 19, 5 Disaster. The quarantine crate full of Hunger samples, escorted by an entire army of wyrmguard to the northlands near the lake, has somehow been compromised. A small patch of the fungus now tears through the skyline of your Great Forest, hollowing out the massive ironwood trees and putting lives to an end. Of the army, no traces can be found. The Hunger has made contact on Liosa, and three of the world’s four continents now hold host to it. Chimeryx is aghast. This is the absolute worst case scenario. The Hunger patch is adjacent to the Heaven’s Breath River, one of your country’s principal water sources. All of the documentation of the fungus has been lost in the disaster, and a small village has been completely wiped out (-3 income). The Halls of the Five: 13, 22, 13, 23. Shua hasn’t seen her dad in a long while. He left the castle about six years ago to go fight the war against the dragonkin. Her only company is mom, and mom doesn’t talk anymore since she was raised from the dead. Neither do the servants—long-limbed black skeletal things fitted in strange blue and white robes. Shua is pretty much all by herself. She plays the flute, sometimes, and one time she tried her hand at tending the garden in the courtyard. So many green plants and lush trees, but when she touched them, they all withered and died. Shua can’t help it. None of these trees are real—her father just re-imagined the brittle dead trees as something different. She wasn’t real either, she thought. Rucahn had just taken his dead daughter and re-imagined her as something… different. Nothing in this castle was real anymore. She climbs to the roof at the end of every day. She throws herself off pretty much twice a day now. The rush she gets from feeling as though she is about to die is the only way she can feel alive any more. Occasionally, a carrier raven comes from dad or one of her uncles. The one that came today was from aunt Garma. Shua likes her aunt. Aunt Garma is the only one who tells Shua things, like about the Hunger. The note outlines the preventative magic that Garma has woven around the borders of the entire nation. When the Hunger inevitably tries to enter into their boundaries, the wards will simply rewind time about five seconds, before the Hunger encroaches, and keep doing that indefinitely. It’s not foolproof, her aunt explains, because there’s still a sort of lagtime, as she says: “The universe kind of tries to call bullshit for about half a second before the time rewinding kicks in.” (Hunger tech started, 2 more successes needed). There’s another raven a week later from her dad. He’s with uncle Kellus far down south. It’s brief. “Expansion going swimmingly, honey. Daddy will be home soon. Love to your mother.” (-20 wealth, +4 income, +10 income) Empire of Legaros: 10, 9, 13, 16 The last group of missionaries makes no progress, and it is now a widely held belief in Legaros that a state religion would undermine the cultural diversity that makes the country so unique. The High Marshal, having been cooperative with the new regime since the surrender, is appointed as Basoferyx’s chief military strategist, the foremost among his generals. His loyalty to the Empire, though, is still suspect, and he is watched by a retinue of spies in the imperial court. Integrating the boat races on Empire Day as part of your culture has strengthened patriotism as well as proven fruitful for the navy. Recruitment numbers, for the first time in the fifteen years since Legaros’s founding, are on the rise. With the new recruits comes an influx of new talent with regard to sea captains, many of them former captains of charter ships under the Mu’lakka (+2 naval rolls). Finally, Basoferyx’s men sent east write back with news of more forest land captured for the Empire (-10 wealth, +7 income). Category:The Ledgers of Baldr